Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-11
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Monthly Circular Issued by the secre-
tary, Gerard G. Tyrrell, NJ. ID.

In his report for the month of Septembe
the Secretary of the State Board of Heall
says:
In the reports received from sixty-tw,
F.! towns in which deaths occurred during thu
month of September, we find a mortality o
| 79o in an estimated population of 636, $50
| which gives percentage of "a deaths pc
900 for the month or an annual rate o
IA IS. If for moment We contrast oul
mortality with that of Eastern States, VIZ
will at once see the wonderful salubrity o
our climate. For instance, we will take
! the month of August. Our annual death
rate as computed by the returns for thai
month was a fraction over II per LOGO. In
! New York it was 26 06: in Massachusetts,
| 1880; Ohio, 1867; Tennessee. 1910; st
Paul, Is 09; in London, England. %; MI
mich, 47.6; Cairo, SO per 900. The NOR
tally for the month Of September shows
that we are entirely free from any fatal
epidemic disease, and that the State is
healthy throughout.
Consumption as usual, shows the largest
number Of decedents, which were ninety
seven, chiefly strangers. Pneumonia caused
twenty-five deaths, which is a decrease OF
ten from the number reported last month.
Bronchitis is reported as causing seventeen
deaths, thirteen of which occurred in San
Francisco. Congestion Of the lungs had a
mortality of ten, chiefly among infants.
Diphtheria Group caused eleven deaths.
Whooping-cough, two. Scarlet fever caused
four deaths. two in San Francisco and two
In Oakland. Measles, one. Smallpox
caused one death in San Francisco. Chol-
era infantum gives death record of twenty
four. Diarrhea and dysentery, although OF
frequent occurrence. caused but three
deaths. Typhoid fever shows a decrease
of nine from last report, there being but
twenty-five deaths from this cause nine
of them occurred in San Francisco. Ty-
pho-malarial fever, although more or less
prevalent, occasioned but few deaths. Re-
mittent fever, five deaths. Cerebro-spinal
fever, five deaths all in San Francisco. Can
Ger was fatal to twenty-five persons. Heart
disease had a mortality of forty-six. AL
coholism caused the death of eighteen per-
sons.
PREVAILING DISEASES.
From reports received from ninety local
ities, in different parts of the State we
learn that the general healthfulness pre-
vailing during August continued during
the month of September and that no w
motto or preventable disease had shown
any epidemic tendency wherever observed.
This is especially remarkable in the cases
of scarlet fever, which, usually very COM
municable, seem to be so limited in extern
sion as to excite surprise. Why this dis
ease should be so virulent and fatal at one
time, and not at another, is one of the
problems in medicine yet to be solved. In
London, where scarlet fever is epidemic,
over twelve hundred cases being in hes
pital during August, the spread of the dis
ease is attributed to the unusually warm
weather there prevailing. In our State we
have had much warmer weather during
the same period, yet it did not increase the
prevalence of the disease or cause its ex-
tension from its original location. The
probable explanation of this immunity
from epidemicty is the general good health
of the community, their resistive powers to
the inroad of disease being unimpaired by
untaYorable surroundings, or meteorolog-
zeal conditions. The most frequently men
toned ailments continue to be:
Diarrh9a and dysentry, which have
been observed with frequency in Santa
Ana, Arbuckle, l;edding, Bodie, Etna
Mills, North Bloomfield, Davisville, Sacra-
mento, Truckee, Knights Ferry, Castro
vile, Downey Cloverdale, Sonora, Wheat
land, Lockeford, Weaverville, Elk Grove,
Millviile, Nicolaus, MERGED, Modesto, Lee
moore, Shasta and Alturas. The mortality
is exceedingly limited. hence we infer that
the dlSeaSe Is quite mid.
Measles prevails to a limited extent in
Cottonwood, Red Bluff, Anderson. Ar
buckle, Modesto Cotton, MERGED Oakland
and San Francisco.
Scarlet fever is noticed in Elk Grove.
Sacramento, San Francisco, Amador City
and Oakland. The cases under observation
were mild, and without any tendency to
spread or assume an epidemic form.
A few cases of smallpox have developed
during the month in San Francisco. The
exact number has not been sent to this Of
flee. DR.. D. D. Crowley reports that one
case occurred in Oakland during the month.
The case in Iryington, and the one sent
from Berkeley, are both convalescent, as is
the one sent to Santa Rosa from Clover
dale. Although the latter case, through
the unwarranted action of the county au-
thorities, was the means of exposing many
persons to the infection, Dr. Smith informs
us that, as far as he can learn, all escaped
without taking the disease.
Many sporadic cases of diphtheria are
noticed in several parts of the State. In
San Francisco it is abating in the number
affected, and in the mortality attending the
attacks. In Santa Ana it is quite prevalent;
it is also observed in Sacramento, St. Hell
ena, Modesto, Watsonville, Etna Mills.
Truckee, Stockton, San Jose, Amador City,
MlllVllle ana OAKlaDQ.
Whoopng cough is prevalent in Alturas,
Salinas City, Cottonwood, Bakersfield,
Mariposa, Cloverdale, Lemoore and
Downey. In regard to whooping cough,
we notice that the Attorney General of the
State of Michigan has rendered decision
that this disease must be classed among
those diseases which are dangerous to pub
lie health, and which are therefore under
the law to be reported by the attending
physician to the Health Offer. He bases
his decision upon the fact that, while for
ten years the average deaths from small
pox were only So per year, in whooping
cough for the same period the average
deaths were 156.
Erysipelas has been noticed in Downey,
Truckee Williams, Anderson, Nicolaus,
Anaheim, Millville, Santa Ana, Salinas,
Jolon and San Jose. The type is mild, and
the mortality exceedingly limited
Typhoid fever, contrary to our expecta-
tons, is not mentioned with greater fire.
quency than in our last reports. 1t has APP
peared in Sacramento, Etna Mills, Colfax,
Hills Ferry, Salinas City, Sonora,
Nicolaus, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Placer
vile, San Jose, San Diego, Santa Ana,
Stockton, Oakland and San Francisco. The
cases are sporadic, withoutany tendency to
assume an epidemic form.
THE HowARDs. = The regular annual
meeting of the active members of the
Howard Benevolent Association was held
Friday evening, October eth, at which the
following officers and Directors were elected
for the ensuing year: President, Il Dale